


Down the rabit hole

by orphan_account



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-11-28 19:44:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20972030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Malcolm/Dani/GilWhen Malcolm is in trouble, who can he lean on?





	1. Chapter 1

Down the rabbit hole

It came in waves. The nausea, was his apartment spinning? He looked at his pill bottles, lined up like little soldiers. His mother and Ainsley argued over how they should be grouped. His dear sweet mother insists on keeping his antipsychotics handy, while Ainsley went for a more Dewey Decimal approach. They kept him teetering on the edge of normalcy. When they weren’t also trying to kill him. Fair trade. Concentrating on the pitch of the floor he decided his entire apartment was crooked, perhaps balancing on it's axis. Any sudden movements could spell disaster.

Did he forget a few pills or accidentally double his dose? His thoughts ran together as his pulse rose. Sweat pooled on his brow, a metallic taste forming at the back of his throat. “Stop freaking out" You got this. With an undeserved air of confidence he crossed his apartment in search of his phone. That was a mistake. His apartment fell off it's axis.


	2. Down the rabbit hole: Anchors away

Nope. It was definitely him falling off his axis. He doubled over, supporting himself with great effort on the coffee table. 

“Ahhh..fuc.. “ He carefully sat back on his couch pulling his cell out from a cushion. Scrolling through his very short list of contacts he struggled to concentrate as the names and numbers ran together swirling around like fireflies. His mother, listed as“Landlady b*tch,”..a slight retching...just the thought of calling his mother for help made the nausea much worse. He rubbed his eyes passing over Ainsley. He couldn’t put this on her. His drama. His f*cking mistake. He knew she’d drop everything for him. She always did. Nope. Not this time. 

He bit his lip when Mom came up. Jackie. Three years and he couldn’t bring himself to remove her from his phone. He looked away, wiping his eye roughly. Loss drifted like poison through his veins. A dull pulsating ache. His balled up fist ticked ever so slightly. She was his person. 

Officer Gil Arroyo. He frowned running his thumb over the call button. His heart ached when he did the math. He knew why Gil was working with him. To watch over him. To fill in his mental cracks as his sanity began to splinter. He was not eating. The nightmares draining his will to continue with his f*cked existence. Gil could see his mask slipping. He needed this. Needed to put his unpure thoughts to use. Help put monsters away. Not become one himself.

His hand seemed to quake as his list of options dwindled. Hitting the letter D did the trick as she was his only contact with that initial. On the third ring, “Powell.”

“That’s it? That’s how you answer the phone for a man you put to bed last night?” He smiled to himself impressed by his own wit under the influence. Dani noticed his labored breathing. His words slurred. Slow. Was it really 1:45am? “Bright, you sound..are you ok?” “Never better,” he laughed, his voice too gravelly to be his own. “Are you at your place?” she asked pulling on a giant sweatshirt she stole from her ex. “Mmhm..” “Bright do you need a bus?” “Dani..you. Please.. just you.” His please sounding so vulnerable her knees weakened as she jogged down two flights of stairs. “You need to get up and unlock the door for me. I’ll be there in 10 minutes…. Malcolm?” “Mm..don..donut tell Gil. DO NOT..I meant do not, but if you could bring actual donuts I won’t not eat them.” She sighed, fighting a smirk. If he could joke he was doing ok. She’d reassess when she saw him. “If you get worse call for help. Real help.” “You are real Dani. Thanks.” She knew he was scared. His jokes a blatant tell. She didn’t know why she followed through on not calling Gil. She got it. She was learning how to get him. 

She didn't remember the drive. The running to his apartment after double parking out front seemed like a dream. Here she was again with this strange man. Her panic sat solidified in her gut. An anchor tethering her to the floor. “Bright?” Why was she asking permission. She went to open the door, almost falling as it easily slung forward. “Yo, Bright.” “Yo yourself,” She could barely make him out. His slurred words echoing from the floor. “My apartment and I are having balancing issues.” Dani rounded the corner spotting Malcolm curled up between his couch and coffee table. He looked pathetic, and she knew the feeling. “Are you mixing pills and whiskey again?” “Why Danielle..I’m offended.” “Call me Powell,” she corrected him. “Look, I can’t help you if I don’t know what you took. What are you on Mal..Bright?” “Ok..Google Pfizer plus mental health drugs. Then select all of them.” Dani knew Malcolm would be useless. She needed a new approach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm new to the site. Thanks for the feedback, I'll try to update nightly until I finish. No beta. Just for fun, fox owns all of this. Laura


	3. Down the rabbit hole: peas suck, a tribute

Dani flipped on a dim lamp looking around for the culprit. “Bright, you need some better lighting in here. Have you had anything to drink?...Malcolm?” She struggled to move his ornate coffee table. “Talk to me so I know you're alive.” “I don’t like peas.” “Peas do suck,” She agreed. “I knew I liked you.” “Is the mothership coming back for you?” She joked. Or at least she thought it was a joke. He didn’t laugh. He just smirked at her like a high idiot leaning back against the sofa with her doing all of the heavy lifting. 

He sighed, “I didn’t drink. I think..I think I took too much Xanax.” He shut his eyes, his hair perfect despite the carpet nap. She fought the urge to brush some hair back from his temple. She moved closer to him letting him lean against her shoulder as he began to struggle in his upright position. She followed his line of sight to a perfect row of orange pill bottles. Her attention only pulled back by his weakened voice. “Not on purpose. The insomnia. I ca..can't sleep.” His voice cracked. Malcolm’s wrist twitched, Dani cupped her hand over Malcolm’s fist. A reflex. She lazily dragged her finger tips, grazing the top of his hand. He closed his eyes. His hand unclenched. An invitation. Without a thought, she began to slide her fingers in between his. He looked at their hands, almost fascinated as a small smile played on his lips. In an instant the joy, thawed, his face stoic as he looked up into her eyes for the first time. 

“Why did you come?” She felt her face flush feeling a sudden rush to her head. She let his hand fall away, trapped under his hazy stare. She blinked, her brown eyes sparkled as she looked away. “The other night. If you hadn’t come when you did. I’d..,” She used the sleeve of her sweater to roughly brush her tear away. “Thank you,” she choked wrapping her arms around his neck. He tried to return her embrace, but sitting upright was using all of his CPU. He lifted his arm, resting it on the small of her back. She smelled of coconut and a hint of men's cologne. He moved his hand down cautiously lifting the back of her sweatshirt to feel her skin. He wondered if his sigh was audible. She was the sun. Warm. So close. He mimicked her move from earlier teasing her lower back with his rough fingertips. She loosened her grip on him, but he pulled her closer before letting her go.

“I wasn’t going to let him hurt you.” He sounded sobered pulling back to look at her face. Her tears replenished, fell freely as she spoke. “You can’t give in, do you hear me? Please.”

“You matter.”

He swallowed hard. She grabbed his chin roughly forcing him to look at her. “Gil loves you,” He choked stifling his tears. ‘Dani I’m too messed up. I drag him down as he lifts me up,” She ran her hand gently down the black of his neck as he went still. “I’m sorry,” he frowned feeling undeserving of her soothing touch. “You..I shouldn’t have called you. You must think I’m such an asshat-"

She leaned over kissing the side of his mouth. She definitely heard him groan as she began to straddle him. He closed his eyes praying he’d remember this in the morning . “I need to sleep,” she whispered leaning her head on his shoulder. He lightly touched her soft curls sweeping them away from her neck. She brought her arm up dragging her nails lightly through his hair, making his scalp tingle. His voice rough, “Do I still have to call you Powell?” She laughed tugging his hair back. He leaned in hungrily his eyes locked onto her lips. “How about I bring you to bed?” “I’d like that,” he bit his lip. A little disappointed her sexy position over him was more for leverage. “One, two, three,” he watched her intently as she pulled him up like a champ. 

“Here,” she slung his arm like a sandbag over her graceful shoulder. She almost dropped him as he leaned away from her, vomiting near, but not on her feet. She let him catch his breath rubbing his back in small circles. He stood awkwardly, he held up a hand to stop her from coming any closer to him. He grabbed onto the bar for support as he took off his tee-shirt. He wiped his mouth with it roughly, throwing it on the ground. He carefully stepped around the mess of multicolored pill casings and bile.

He was able to make to his bed with Dani following closely behind. He didn’t fight her when she helped him get his legs up. Dani left returning with a cool wash cloth. He pulled at his arm restraint. “No, you could aspirate. I'll stay with you. Are you hot?” he nodded weakly as she sat down on the edge of his bed. She placed the cool washcloth on his forehead. He felt himself drift off, and woke with a start as the bed shifted from her weight. 

“I could hurt you, Dani..no.” She sat up, her curls tickling his bare chest as she buckled his right restraint securely in place. He stared up at her as she finished with his other arm.  
“Goodnight Bright,” His heart raced as she placed her head on his chest, her arm around him. He wished more than anything he could put him arms around her soft curves as they slept. His heart slowed matching her rhythm. He waited until her breathing became slow, and steady. He closed his eyes. Work was in 3 hours. 


End file.
